January 9, 2013

Kelsey Raffaele was 17.

Detroit Free Press Lansing Bureau

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With the Raffaele family on hand, Gov. Rick Snyder signs Kelsey’s Law, named in honor of Kelsey Raffaele, to protect Michigan’s teen drivers and all other motorists in Lansing, Mich., Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013. / Associated Press/Michigan Governor's Office

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LANSING -- Young and inexperienced motorists will be banned from using cell phones while driving under a bill Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law Tuesday.

Kelsey's Law is named after Kelsey Raffaele of Sault Ste. Marie, who was 17 when she died in a cell-phone-related automobile crash in 2010.

Kelsey's mother, Bonnie Raffaele, pushed for the law, which takes effect in March. She stood behind Snyder as he signed it and thanked everyone who pushed for it by sending postcards and e-mails to lawmakers or by testifying before legislative committees.

"I know that Kelsey is up in heaven just clapping and screaming for joy over this because of the lives that can be saved," she said.

The legislation applies to those with Level 1 licenses, who can't drive unaccompanied, and those with Level 2 licenses, who face restrictions on when they can drive and the passengers they can carry.

Level 3 drivers, who have full privileges, are exempted.

Snyder said the law "strikes our hearts, in terms of making a difference in people's lives." He added that it touches him personally because he has a teenage daughter named Kelsey who got her license in August.